01/07/2014

Steve Patterson, watch your back

AUSTIN, Texas - Didn't take long for new University of Texas athletic director Steve Patterson to make some new friends.

Shortly after introducing Charlie Strong as the new football coach at Texas, UT fat cat booster Red McCombs popped on the radio. He has his feewings huuurt.

McCombs told ESPN 1250 in San Antonio that UT went about the selection process wrong, and that he was shutout. He said he had been talking to Jon Gruden; Red believed he had Chucky in the bag to be the next coach at UT.

He really threw Strong under the bus, and comes across as an old-school bigot: "I don't have any doubt Charlie is a fine coach. I think he'd probably make a fine position coach, maybe a coordinator."

Could that be more condescending?

This is what happens when you have just that much money - you do not care because there is zero consequence.

McCombs said, however, he would support Strong. Good to have friends like that.

It appears as if despite drawing up The CYA Committee of 8 to find Mack Brown's replacement, Steve Patterson was going alone on this hire. If this does not work out, he's sooooo fired. Red will make sure of it.

After the press conference before a small handful of us nerd media types, Patterson said he did not know where it started that other candidates turned down the job. Can't imagine.

"Charlie Strong was the only coach we made an offer to," Patterson said.

Charlie Strong may have been the only coach Steve Patterson and UT president Bill Powers made the offer to, but clearly some other UT "executives" made their offers, too.

Here is a look at the coaches who used the threat of Texas for their own gain, i.e. contract extensions, this offseason:Nick Saban, AlabamaGus Malzahn, AuburnJimbo Fisher, Florida StateArt Briles, BaylorJim Mora Jr., UCLA